The Hunger Artist Interview

The Hunger Artist just dropped a new 3 song EP entitled “Uh. . . “ and a music video for the single “Gotta Live a Life”. The three songs on the E.P. are “Gotta Live a Life”, “i k(no) i don’t k(no)” and “Darling Please”. All three are catchy, hooky and quirky with a punch. We spoke with Hunger Artist vocalist Travis Moor about all things “Uh. . . “.

Let’s get started with the basics. The Hunger Artist comes from Kafka. How did you decide to use that name?

I read the Hunger Artist and liked the idea of an artist so committed to their craft that they’d perform it to death – even if no one was watching. My favorite part is when the main character starves to death his cage and is replaced by a panther at the end. Panthers are awesome.

Are there more Kafka influences/references in your music?

Not particularly.

Who are the band members and what are their roles?

The band members are Collin and Hunter Fausnaugh, and Stefan Short. They take the parts I’ve written, add to them, and make them work live. They’re also, collectively, my therapist.

Who does what in the song writing and assembly?

I write everything and bring it to the band, and then we practice the songs a bunch and flesh the parts out, but nothing really gets nailed down until we’re in the studio.

The new EP “Uh . . .” has recently dropped. How do the songs represent all things “Uh . . .?”

Uh . . . I don’t really know, you know? Every song was built to be like a thought that cancels itself out, kind of like having an aneurysm – spiritually, ideally, emotionally, or whatever – which is the inspiration behind the whole #whtevr theme.

Please describe what the EP sounds like as a whole and any specific songs you think that stand out among the rest.

It’s hard to really pick one. I’ve spent so much time living with the songs that it’s hard to distance myself and hear them with fresh ears. They’re my kids; they grew from such tiny little chord forms.

Why do you feel that people really need to hear this EP?

As far as music goes, the idea that people need to hear anything seems silly – but my heart and soul are in these songs.

Lyrically what were some of your most personal moments that are discussed in the songs?

All the songs’ lyrics are pretty personal. I have a hard time playing “Darling Please” because sometimes it can get me feeling pretty emo; sometimes it’s hard to fight the urge to get a fauxhawk and put on black eyeliner when we’re done playing it.

Your music video for “Gotta Live a Life” stars Little Fyodor and has a very interesting narrative and directorial style. How did you decide to go that route and tell that specific story?

I was watching what was happening in culture all around me and thought, “Wow, everyone’s just drinking their idol’s kool-aid” and that’s kind of where the concept came from. I imagined the overall aesthetic to be more camp town revival/dueling banjos on the Mississippi but I like that it turned out absurd and kooky. When Josh Mackey, the director, and I started talking about casting, I knew Little Fyodor would be a perfect fit for the pastor. He’s got that whole Bob Dobbs vibe.

Also, with the next video also be narrative or will be performance? Which do you prefer in general?

I will always aim to to try to tell a story in any music videos we shoot. Videos where a group of musicians pretend to play electric instruments in an empty field are played out.

You have some notoriety for selling Kanye West’s face on toilet plungers as a merch item. Are those still available? And what other unique merch items are heading our way?

We have one plunger left but I can’t bring myself to sell it. It looks so nice on the piano. We have a lot of ideas; my low-key goal is to see how many cease and desist letters we can get.

We are now over half way through 2018. What are your goals for the rest of the year as a band? More writing? Touring?

We don’t plan on doing much touring but I have a backlog of songs to finish. I have all the parts written but I write really, really BASIC midi drum parts, so Stefan and I will be focusing on solidifying the drum parts in a lot of the songs I’ve written.